6th January, 2011
Barrister Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, lead counsel to the Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, who is detained at Agodi Prison over the alleged murder of the factional leader of the Oyo State Chapter National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Salako alias Eleweomo, today began moves to file an application for the bail of the senator.
Mr. Akeredolu is said to have concluded arrangements to file for the application at the state High Court Ring Road, Ibadan, Ibadan, capital of Oyo State.
As at the time of filing this report, reporters who had been moving from one court to another since morning to be acquainted with the development had not got the details of the application.
However, there were strong indications that the bail application would be filed before the close of work today for it to be heard tomorrow.
Senator Folarin was remanded in Agodi Prison by Chief Magistrate, Mrs. F. A. Badrudeen till 14 January to give the counsel to the senator ample time to perfect their papers to secure his bail at the High Court.
In a chat with newsmen yesterday evening, a factional leader in the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, who is also a high chief in Ibadan, Senator Lekan Balogun, explained that nothing would stop the bail application from being filed today with the hope that the court would grant the bail tomorrow for the senator to go back home.
He said: “The application supposed to have been filed since yesterday but we could not do it due to logistic reasons. Our lawyer is already in the court filing the application that will be attached with the certificate of urgency. By God’s grace, the court will hear the matter tomorrow, Friday. I am sure Senator Folarin will go to his house tomorrow from the court because we are more than prepared for the bail conditions.â€
Senator Balogun, a leader and spokesperson of the Coalition Group in the PDP exonerated the senate leader from being involved in the killing of Eleweomo, stressing that Senator Folarin was not even at the spot where Eleweomo was killed.
He lambasted the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Alhaji Adisa Baba Bolanta for taking sides with Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala in order to destroy Senator Folarin, adding that Bolanta has deviated from the ethics of his professional calling.
Meanwhile, the Olubadan-In-Council will meet today in to deliberate on the recent developments in the state.
— Ggenro Adesina/Ibadan
